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Skinny baby

My baby is really slim 7 months old 16.6 lbs and 29 inches long. What can I do to fatten him up? I should note that he has a milk allergy and as a result I am not consuming dairy products. He already nurses a lot and doesn't have a huge interest in solids (I give him bites of avacado when he will take them)

Re: Skinny baby

I delt with alot of "skinny baby" with dairy allergy issues with my 2 1/2 year old. First off, just keep BFing on demand, make sure he gets most of his calories from BM since it has way more calories and fat then solids. At your DS's weight I think that should do him well. BFed through age 2 so he keeps getting the fat needed that he will be unable to get with soy milk alone, and he can't get from whole milk.
My 2nd baby weaned when I was 5 months pg with my third child (around 21 months old) and we had to put him on soy formula at age 2 1/2 bc he didn't gain after he weaned... if I had knowen that i wouldn't have encouraged him to wean during pg! He is and was super tiney.

Re: Skinny baby

Hi Shasta
It sounds like your concerned that your son isn't getting enough calories. May I ask a few questions? Has he been gaining weight steadily since birth? Does he have at least 4 or 5 wet (disposable) diapers per day?

If he's been gaining well and having plenty of wet diapers, then he's likely getting enough to eat. Genetics can play a big role in the size of our babies.
It's fine that you aren't eating any dairy products--that won't affect the quality of your milk negatively. In fact, for your son, it makes your milk ideal for him because he has a milk allergy. Most formulas sold are based on cows milk and he'd probably have a very hard time digesting them!

Breastmilk is approximately 20-22 calories per ounce, and it's difficult to find baby foods that are that calorie rich. So it's not a problem that he isn't eating many solids. If he's not interested, just wait a few more weeks and offer again. Your breastmilk is all that he needs!

Hope that helps!
Jen

"Mothers are designed to be available to their babies--to help them make the transition into this big, wide world. To teach them to trust, and love, and feel good about being alive."

Re: Skinny baby

My 6.5 month old is 16 lbs and 27 inches. Babies come in all sizes Is your baby gaining and growing? I wouldn't worry unless he stops gaining or loses weight. As long he is happy, health and wetting/dirtying diapers.

Re: Skinny baby

Originally Posted by LLL LactoJen

Hi Shasta
It sounds like your concerned that your son isn't getting enough calories. May I ask a few questions? Has he been gaining weight steadily since birth? Does he have at least 4 or 5 wet (disposable) diapers per day?

Jen

His birthweight was 9.3 lbs. his weight has increased consistantly but it's tapered off lately. Yes, we probably go through about 10 or so cloth diapers a day. So he is wetting normally. At 5 months he was in the 50th percentile and at 7 months he is in the 15th-25th percentile. Although his height has remained in the 95th percentile since birth.

Re: Skinny baby

Well, 10 wet diapers a day is an excellent sign that he's getting plenty of breastmilk! Sometimes babies around that age (having an extremely busy 7-monther myself!) get busy and mobile and burn more calories too. Have you noticed an increase in his activity?

It's not necessarily a bad thing that he's in a lower percentile. For one thing, he's still on the chart, and another, those charts are often based on formula fed babies, who can follow very different growth and weight curves than breastfed babies.

Jen

"Mothers are designed to be available to their babies--to help them make the transition into this big, wide world. To teach them to trust, and love, and feel good about being alive."

Re: Skinny baby

Could just be his body type. My now 8 MO was about the same weight as yours at 7 mos, but about 2 inches shorter. She looks like a little Michelin baby with all her fat rolls! If yours is that much longer, he could just be a stringbean type guy. If he's gaining and has enough wets and poops, sounds like a healthy baby to me!

Re: Skinny baby

I'm with everyone else. Sounds like his body type. I think sometimes they grow in length and not so much in weight and then teh next time they haven't grown much in length but have packed on the pounds. My first son was always very thin. He was also extremely mobile by 7 months and dropped in pertentiles too. But now he's a happy healthy 30 pound 3 year old. Oh, and he didn't start solids until about 9 months so don't worry about your baby's disinterest. You'll get there on his time. Hang in there and keep on nursing on demand! You're doing a great job!